


The Risks we Take

by megapidgeots



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Fantasy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:41:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23366377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megapidgeots/pseuds/megapidgeots
Summary: Late at night, Leon, the infamous Champion of the Seas, spies his lover and greatest rival's ship being pursued. Leon knows that he has to save him, no matter the cost.Takes place within the story of "Tempest" by Shamusiel
Relationships: Dande | Leon/Kibana | Raihan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 76





	The Risks we Take

**Author's Note:**

> This is written within the canon of Zach shamusiel's "Tempest" - it's a birthday present for him! Read Tempest here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22962820/chapters/54891976 and be sure to leave a kudos if you enjoyed!

Leon sits in the Crow’s nest, Hop dozing as he lay back against his brother’s chest. It’s a tight fit, but it’s also one of the few places the two of them can have privacy, if only for a bit. The cabins are private enough, and Leon trusts his crew, but it’s only natural to snoop. He has nothing to hide, of course, but if folks see him being soft too often, well…

He leans forward and rests his head on Hop’s head, Hop’s newly cropped hair tickling the underside of his jaw. His brother snorts and wiggles away, then he stands, looking over the water. Starlight lights the gloom, their only guide in the darkness. It casts a brilliant silver sheen on Hop’s brown skin. He spins around, a hum escaping him. It sounds like a song Leon has heard the crew sing a few times. Eventually, Hop falls back against one of the walls of the Crow’s nest and stares up at the sky.

“What do you think the stars are, Leon?” he asks.

Leon blinks. He looks up at the twinkling lights above them. He’s never considered it much, but Hop is always one to consider those types of things. He is an excellent navigator, after all. 

“They’re always in the same place,” Hop continues, “but they blink, or something like that, and some of them are brighter than others. Have you noticed that?” Leon hasn’t, but he nods regardless. Quietly, at the back of his mind, Leon wonders if that means that he and Raihan are looking at the same stars. Is Raihan the type to spend time stargazing? Somehow, Leon thinks he is. Maybe he’s just being romantic, though. He bites his lip and stands, leaning beside his brother against the edge of the Crow’s nest. The old wood creaks under his weight, but he trusts it not to give out. The  _ Champion Time  _ has been through more than him putting his weight on it. 

“I think they’re like the sun, further away,” Hop says. “Sonia said that someone said that once, a long time ago, but no one listened. I think it makes sense, though.”

Leon hums affirmatively. He doesn’t understand all that, truthfully. He isn’t stupid- he understands combat, he understands people, or he’d like to think so. He understands Hamlet and Othello, after how much it’s been ground into him. Stars, though? Not so much. He reaches over and runs his fingers through his brother’s hair, causing Hop to bat away his hand with a smirk. 

Hop’s so big now. So smart. He thinks, distantly, that their parents would be proud. He holds back tears. He always does. He wishes, sometimes, that he had someone he could cry on. He takes a slightly shaky breath, and hopes Hop doesn’t notice. 

Blue eyes flash in his mind. The ghost of calloused, dark hands trail down his sides. Raihan is rough, and angry, but when Leon sees him with other people, he’s like the sun. He’s like the stars. He’s bright and unknowable, and Leon wishes he could know him. Could know that loving, easy smile. 

He smiles to himself as he thinks about Raihan wrapping his arms around him, pulling him against his chest, and just letting him rest there.

Leon thinks about a lot of impossible things. He thinks it’s one of his greatest flaws. He’s a dreamer, Sonia would say. She would say it isn’t a bad thing. But Leon doesn’t have time to chase dreams. 

“Is that the Wyrmwind?” Hop’s voice cuts violently through his thoughts. It’s like he’s been hit over the head with a blunt instrument. The way in which he leans forward, eyes searching through the gloom, is no doubt nearly comical in his enthusiasm. As soon as he realizes it, he pulls away and straightens his back. 

The ship Hop had spotted is indeed the Wyrmwind. He’d recognize the vessel anywhere, with its gorgeous dark wood and signature flags. Raihan, he thinks, has a flair for the dramatic, and were they on less shaky terms, he might consider teasing him for it. The ship is so damned big it’s almost impractical, not that he’s one to talk. 

“They’re going fast,” he notes, furrowing his brow. Something must be wrong. There’s no reason to make haste at this hour unless something is chasing you.

“There’s… something in the water. A long shark? I’ve never seen anything like it.” Hop holds his spyglass in small, shaky hands. Leon grabs the instrument and jerks it away, pulling it to eye level. 

The beast that’s chasing the Wyrmwind shines silver in the moonlight as it repeatedly breaks the surface. Its long, serpentine body thrashes to and fro. At one point, it leaps in a magnificent arc, spreading thin, massive, leathery winds. It soars for a moment, closing a tremendous amount of distance in mere seconds. It parts its jaw in a deafening screech that rattles Leon down to his bones. Beside him, Hop collapses into a heap, hands over his ears.

“Dragon,” Leon hisses through his teeth. Something he’d once have called a mere fable, but he’d seen enough in his time as captain to know not to doubt such things. Leon grabs the nearest rope and swung himself downward, risking injury in favor of haste, though, luck being on his side, he lands without spraining anything.

His crew is already rousing from uneasy slumbers, hobbling up onto the deck like newborn kittens, blinking into the pale light. “The Wyrmwind is due east!” 

“West!” Hop’s voice calls from above as he, more slowly, makes his way down the ladder.

“West!” Leon echoes.

“Since when do we care about the Wyrmwind?” a crew member- Charles- asks, squinting at him with a frown tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Leon shakes. He knows it’s a reasonable question. They’ve never gone out of their way to help the Wyrmwind before, and as far as most of his crew know, he isn’t on great terms with its captain. He doesn’t exactly want to come clean about all that right now, either. All he knows is that Raihan is in danger, and Leon will not let him get hurt. It’s an odd feeling. Almost, but not quite like what he feels when Hop is in danger. He feels it too, when they meet and he finds that Raihan has been injured again.

Distantly, he is aware that he cares for the man, but he hardly has time to unpack that right now.

Sonia comes to his rescue, “I’ve been speaking with a close friend of Captain Raihan’s. Nessa thinks an alliance may be beneficial to us. Certainly, if the ship sinks, we’ll never know.”

Leon shoots Sonia a grateful glance, only to have his own fear reflected there. Perhaps there is something to her relationship with this Nessa woman. He’ll have to ask later.

“You heard me, then! Turn us west, ready the cannons.” Leon takes off at a jog towards the Quarter Deck, giving his Navigator a grateful nod as the man muscles through the cloud of sleep surrounding them to configure the helm and get them back on pace. 

In his time organizing his crew, the Wyrmwind has come closer, and he can see both the ship and the mighty beast pursuing it without aid now. It bares its fangs, displaying several rows of thin, dangerously pointed teeth. Leon swallows.

“Aim for the dragon!” he calls, turning to face his men. None of them pause to question his orders. Regardless of what they may think of the creature they’re facing, they know better than the disobey in the face of direct danger. 

Opposite them, he sees a tall, dark figure on the opposing Quarter Deck. Leon’s heart skips desperately at the sight, and he thinks, for a fleeting moment, that maybe, if he saves Raihan, he’ll hate him less.

Or maybe he’ll only hate him more.

He orders the attack anyway. 

Shots are fired, and the crack echoes through the silent night. One cannonball lands only feet away from the face of the creature, which rears up and lets out a fearsome hiss. Its horns flatten back against its broad, silver head, and its glowing green eyes narrow into slits. It spreads its wings once again, and leaps from the water, its sights this time set on the  _ Champion Time _ . 

“Knock arrows!” Leon barks, and his two archers prepare themselves. Not enough. Why wasn’t he prepared for this? Leon curses under his breath and slips his rapier from its sheath, the metal glimmering in the night. The beast’s gaze flickers his way, and thin, clawed limbs sprout suddenly from its underside as it spins in midair, turning his way. 

It lands before him, its weight rocking the boat. It’s larger than he thought it would be, from a distance, towering at twice his height. It bares its teeth again, and Leon thinks for a dark moment of how easy it would be to simply lay back and die by this creature.

But he does not give up. He readies his weapon and lunges, aiming for a shoulder. The dragon lets out a caterwaul, the sound of it sending hairline cracks through the deck. His navigator wails and falls to the ground, gripping at the sides of his head, and Leon sees a thin trickle of blood seeping through his fingers. Leon’s ears ring painfully, but he stays upright.

“Someone help Samuel!” he snaps, before lunging once again, this time feinting right at the last second and daring to slash at the underside of the dragon’s jaw. It rears back onto thin hind legs, and Leon is shocked that they managed to hold its weight. The sight causes Leon to lose focus for a moment, and suddenly, the dragon’s claws are upon him, slashing at his shoulder. He jerks back just in time and is only grazed. Still, his thin blouse tears, and streaks of red ooze into the remaining fabric. 

He takes another step back, digging his heel into the soft wood, and breathes heavily, eyes darting back and forth, looking for a weak spot. He’s never fought anything like this before. He doesn’t know what its weak spot is.

A violent impact to the side of the ship sends both Leon and the dragon careening to the right. The dragon digs its claws into the wood to steady itself, but Leon rolls until he hits the railing, sending a jolt of pain up his back. His eyes haze over for a moment, and he can only make out the vague shape of the dragon as it once again stands upright and turns to face him. Leon feels a salty tang in his mouth, and he wonders where it came from. Did he swallow water? Is he bleeding?

The dragon takes a step forward, lips drawn back in a snarl. Drool dribbles from its jaw and splatters onto the deck below it. 

_ I’m going to die here. _

__ _ I’m going to get myself killed trying to save a man who doesn’t even like me _ . 

Which, naturally, is the exact moment that said man decides to make his appearance. Raihan’s blade glitters in the faint light, and descends in an elegant arc, lodging itself deep in the back of the dragon’s neck. 

The beast lets out one last cry, and collapses, dark blood swelling from the wound as it flails desperately through its last moments of life. Leon stares, mind not registering exactly what just transpired before him.

He looks up and meets Raihan’s icy blue eyes. He finds something that he doesn’t quite recognize there- not anger nor lust. If Leon didn’t know better, he might say that Raihan looks  _ worried _ . The look vanishes a moment later, however, and when Raihan pulls him to his feet, Leon doesn’t feel real. He looks over at the body of the dragon.

“Do you… want it?” he asks, stupidly. He doesn’t know what else to say.

“No, not really.” 

Leon looks up at him, and an unsaid question hangs in the air.  _ Do you want me? _

__ “I thought you might die.” Raihan says, his expression unreadable, his voice infuriatingly level.

“I thought I might die, too.”

“Leon!” Hop’s voice echoes through the quiet that’s grown since the dragon fell. Leon detaches himself from Raihan in time to pull his brother into a hug. “Leon, we’re about to--”

The ship rocks forward, and Leon and Hop both fall back, directly into Raihan, who then falls back into the railing.

“Reach shallow water,” Hop finishes.

“Drop anchor!” Leon calls to his crew.

“Nessa, you too,” Raihan shouts across to the other ship. Oh, right.

Leon shakes himself off and makes his way to the far side of the deck, peering over the edge to check the damage. “You’re lucky,” he says to Raihan, “looks like there isn’t any permanent damage.”

“Lucky, am I?” Raihan’s voice is low and silky, “I thought that you were the lucky one tonight.”

Leon’s breath hitches as he feels Raihan breathe close to his ear. He swallows, his dry throat aching at the sensation. “We should all get rest.” 

Raihan hums and pulls back, ambling over to where their ships are closest, he climbs onto the railing before leaping across. He offers Leon a lazy one-handed salute before going to join the rest of the crew.

“What… was that?” Hop asks, brows pinching together as he examines his brother. 

“Nothing,” Leon says, too quickly. “You should get to sleep. I’ll go get this,” he gestures to the claw marks across one of his shoulders, “patched up.”

Hop wrinkles his nose, as if ready to argue that command, but to Leon’s great relief, he does not. He returns to his cabin, Leon only a few feet behind. As he walks, he decides he can probably tend to his own wounds. 

He does just that, holed up in his little cabin, thoughts of Raihan swirling stubbornly in his mind. He’d saved him. He hadn’t let him die. Did one save someone they hated? Surely not, right? Leon rolls his shoulder, wincing slightly at the sensation, but he’s had much worse, even in recent memory. 

He lays back in his cot and lets his breathing steady. He has a dead dragon on his boat he should probably deal with, but he can’t fathom dealing with it today. He watches the ceiling of his cabin, charting out the lines in the wood as he has many sleepless nights before.

His mind wanders to Raihan, and he rolls onto his side, buries his face into his pillow. He doesn’t want to think about it. He doesn’t want to think about him. He heaves a shaky sigh. His door opens, and it can only be one person. Everyone knocks, even Sonia and Hop.

“Raihan.” He says.

Raihan doesn’t say anything. He makes his way over to Leon’s cot. It’s only built for one, not that it matters much if they’re on top of each other. Raihan rolls him over so he can straddle him properly.

Raihan meets his eyes, and once again, Leon thinks he sees a flicker of worry. “Do you not want to tonight?”

Leon’s lips part. He reaches up to brush his knuckles along Raihan’s jawline. The taller man trembles slightly, but doesn’t move away.

“Hold me?” Leon’s voice doesn’t sound like his own to his ears, but he knows he said them. Raihan bites his bottom lip, nods slowly, and then leans down. He presses slow, open-mouthed kisses against the side of Leon’s neck. Leon grips his shoulders gently and hums his appreciation. Raihan nips at his skin, not enough to mark him, as he’s usually so fond of doing, only enough to pull whimpers out of Leon, which he responds to with light chuckles against his skin. 

Strong arms wrap around Leon’s waist and Raihan settles down by his side, staring at Leon as if he’s picking him apart. He presses his mouth to Leon’s shoulder and closes his eyes. Leon thinks it’s the most vulnerable he’s ever seen him. He dares to reach over and brush hair from his face. His skin looks soft, inviting. Dark and smooth and beautiful. Leon pulls himself closer, pressing his forehead to Raihan’s chest.

“I’m sorry if I scared you,” he says, a teasing lilt to his voice that he knows will only fan any flame that Raihan has burning within him, and yet he cannot bring himself to be completely genuine.

“You didn’t.”

“Because you hate me?”

Raihan says nothing in response to that. Leon supposes that’s progress. He can’t ask for more than that, though he wishes he could. He lets himself breathe in Raihan- breathe in the sea and the open air. He falls asleep with it swirling around him, with Raihan holding him close.

When he awakes, sweating in the night, Raihan is gone. The dragon is still dead on the deck. Leon’s life continues to trudge forward. 

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on twitter @chesnaughtz  
> zach's twitter is @zhamusiel


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